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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · chair · lie · snap · toast · prune · fine · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fine — all right
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. snap — to click
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fine — high quality
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. kick — in football
  19. toast — bread
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. row — a line
  22. lie — to recline
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com